Barely a week after calling off its nationwide actions to make way for smooth dialogue with the Electoral Commission and other stakeholders on the way forward regarding the proposed new voters’ register, the “Inter-Party Resistance Against the New Register” is back on the street to continue its protests.
This follows the announcement by the Electoral Commission (EC) that the registration for the proposed New Biometric Voters’ Register would be starting on April 18.
According to the group, the EC acted in bad faith in moving ahead to declare the commencement date for the compilation of the new register while talks have only begun. They described the move by the EC as “disrespectful” to stakeholders involved and deceptive to protestants who agreed to peacefully discuss the matter as planned.
“In a meeting of the Resistance, held on Thursday, 23rd January, we took a disturbing note of the EC’s declaration of April 18 as the beginning of the compilation of the new register…without recourse to the planned engagement of stakeholders at a meeting scheduled for 30th January.
This we consider not only an act of bad faith but also an act of utter disrespect and disregard to the ECs own establishment, the Committee of Eminent Advisors and the Civil Society Organizations involved in this discussions,” a statement from the group noted.
The press release, signed by Bernard Monarh, and copied to ghananewsonline.com.gh asserted that “the EC is taking the anger and the will of the people for granted [with the] invitation of political parties to a meeting with the Committee of Eminent Advisors for further deliberations on the said matter and yet going ahead to announce a date for the commencement of same”
Due to this, the group has reversed its earlier decision to suspend demonstrations and shall proceed “with the series of mass actions earlier outlined”.
They have promised that in due course they would announce the form, venue and dates for next series of demonstrations against the proposed new register.
The resistance group added that “if any further deliberation must happen between the EC, Committee of Eminent Advisors and IPAC, it must be done with the full involvement of the CSOs, as has been the practice at IPAC”.
Source: Jonas Danquah || ghananewsonline.com.gh